The invention relates to a bumper for a motor vehicle with a support part supporting energy absorbing foam layers via resilient holders on a fixed vehicle support. A panelling covering the impact-near foam layer towards the front is fixed to the support and adjoins a skirt toward the bottom.
German published unexamined patent application (DOS) No. 3,325,104 discloses a bumper. In this case the support extends above and below the foam layer as a covering and skirt respectively, and these continuations have to yield resiliently when impacted, e.g., by an obstacle. Accordingly close limits are set for the support strength. Therefore, in the case of a relatively high, locally confined impact effect, a local overloading of the bumper system may occur, with the result that components which can no longer be regenerated have to be exchanged.
It is an object of the invention to increase decisively the regenerateable impact absorbency of the bumper, while retaining the pedestrain-protective flexible design of the cover and of the skirt.
This object is achieved by designing the support part as a stiff load distributing member with the panelling fastened to it to merge integrally with the skirt. Owing to the fact that the support part now no longer undertakes any panelling function, it supporting capacity can be easily adapted to the requirements by corresponding material selection and dimensioning. Due to the detachment in terms of force of the cover panelling and the skirt from the support part, there is also freedom with respect to defining the characteristics for the obtainment of pedestrain-protective deign of the front bumper finish.
In a further development of preferred embodiments of the invention, rigid attachments are fixed on the support part, which serve for example the purpose of receiving fog lamps in a protective arrangement.
In order to achieve an adaptation of the cross section elasticity modulus to the stresses to be expected and thus an increase in the load bearing strength, the support part is provided with a reinforcement in the region between the front holders in especially preferred embodiments.
Relative movements between the two foam layers and the assigned supporting walls are prevented in all possible directions of impact by providing that the support part or the support part and the reinforcement accommodate the two layers of energy-absorbing foam securely against displacements.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.